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Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Note: This post is the last of the of articles on the Civil War in the Ozarks. This series contains five installments over the next five weeks. These
articles can also be found on the Baxter Bulletin every Monday. Some articles in the Bulletin
have been edited down to fit the word count requirements for the
newspaper. These articles will be posted here every Tuesday; they are
posted here in their entirety with pictures & links.Enjoy your Ozarks' History.Vincent

The Union now had their claim on a sick soldier,
Maj. John Woodward Methvin, in the military prison in Springfield, Missouri. On
the 12th of November, 1862, Methvin made a request for paper &
pen to write a letter for his appeal of a parole.

This letter, currently on file at the National
Archives, is the last documentation in Methvin’s own hand. Methvin appealed to the
Provost Marshall for his release stating, “I was brought here on the 20th
of October, last, and my health being somewhat impaired since I came here.I therefore ask parole with such bonds &
terms as your honor may suggest.My
certificate of appointment was taken from me at Ozark by the Adjutant or Sergeant
Major of that place if you can do anything for me that would better my
situation.The favor will be properly
appreciated.I am, lieutenant, with much respect, your obedient
servant.” His request was not granted, and the decision was made that he should
be transferred to infamous Gratiot Street Prison in St. Louis, Missouri.

According to other Confederate POWs of that time,
the trip from Springfield to Rolla was a weary trek, and most men were made to walk
most of the way, and the roads were also very rough. There were no tents, and
the prisoners were compelled to lie on the ground every night without shelter. Sometimes
it would rain, and in the morning they would find themselves wet, muddy, and
nearly frozen. Those who were sick, injured, or incapable of walking from Rolla
to St. Louis were allowed to board the railcars in Rolla, since this town was
the terminus for the railroad into the Ozarks. By the time the exhausted
soldiers reached St. Louis, complete fatigue had set in.

According to one captured Confederate, “The weather
being extremely cold we had a very disagreeable trip indeed, nothing to eat for
twenty- four hours, and when we reached St. Louis we were as hungry as wolves.
We had to stand in the street for over an hour before we could be admitted to
the prison, during which time one poor fellow took a congestive chill and died.
Before our admission we were searched, and deprived of our money, knives,
papers, and in fact everything we had about us, (except my journal, which they
were unable to find.) We were then shown to our quarters, the upper room in the
round building-a very dark, gloomy place, and very filthy besides.”

There were about eight hundred prisoners in Gratiot,
and more coming in every day from all parts of the country. There were only
two stoves for over a hundred men. When awaking on the next morning, it was
discovered that Gratiot is a very hard place, much worse than Springfield. Again
a prisoner would testify, “the fare is so rough, it seems an excellent place to
starve. Am not particularly fond of any prison, but must say that I give
Springfield the preference over this.”

The prisoners were only allowed two meals a day, and
the cooks kept busy, even working in the dark. Some two or three hundred prisoners
would eat at a time, and the tin plates and cups were never washed from the
first to the last table. Breakfast consisted of one-fifth of a loaf of baker's
bread, a small portion of bacon, and a tin cup of stuff they called coffee. For
dinner the same amount of bread, a hunk of beef, and a pint of the water the
beef was boiled in, which was called soup. Sometimes a couple of boiled
potatoes were portioned out. Knives, forks and spoons were not allowed, and all
ate with their hands. Many would leave the table as hungry as they went to
it.

It was in this institution that Maj. Methvin was
confined. The hospital, which is the highest room in the prison, contained a
great many sick at this time. The Sisters of Charity would visit them daily,
ministering to them, and supplying them with such delicacies as their poor
appetites could receive, and their weak conditions required.

Initially in Arkansas, Maj. Methvin was sick with
pneumonia,and subsequently, he grew worse. In the last days of
his imprisonment, Methvin contracted meningitis and died. Methvin passed from
this life, away from his family and friends.Death records from Missouri newspapers made mention that he died on the
10th of December, 1862. Major Methvin was buried at Jefferson
Barracks in St. Louis, Missouri. A monument was placed in the cemetery for him
on the 19th of July, 1864. His body still rests there to this day.

Jefferson
Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.

4861 Maj. J. W. Methvin27 ARK. INF.C. S. A.

Upon hearing the sad news, numerous friends of Major
Methvin made eulogizing comments concerning such a kind and considerate man. He
was a highly respected citizen before the Civil War, and the soldiers held him
in great esteem. Methvin was known to defend his men’s rights in his regiment;
he also put his life on the line several times in the battle. They truly
admired and respected him as an officer in their regiment. In speaking of his
death, Silas Turnbo said, “the Confederate Army lost a true and brave soldier
and Arkansas a noble citizen.”

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Note: I will be posting an
Ozark Civil War series on this post for the next several weeks. These
articles can also be found on the Baxter Bulletin every Monday. Some articles in the Bulletin
have been edited down to fit the word count requirements for the
newspaper. These articles will be posted here every Tuesday; they are
posted here in their entirety with pictures & links.

As the skirmish of Mountain Home quickly ensued, the
divided Americans exchanged deadly blows in revenge of their loyal friend, Maj.
Methvin, and the property stolen from defenseless women. According to the Official Reports, “Lt. Mooney[Union],
seeing he was cut off from the column, ordered a charge, which was made with
such impetuosity and gallantry by his little band that he succeeded in carving
his way through their lines without the loss of a man, though the lieutenant
himself was severely wounded. In the melee, some of our men were dismounted,
but all succeeded in riding out a horse; if not their own, an enemy’s.”

The soft lead that had splintered into Lt. Reuben
Pickett Mooney’s hand was quickly extracted and bandaged. He would not be permanently
maimed, and he would fight in other battles in this bloody struggle. This
incident served to remind him of the frailty of life as his 40th
birthday was approaching by the next week, the 25th of October. Nevertheless,
he would have the opportunity to spend his birthday celebration with his wife
at his home in Christian County, Missouri. The following week he would be
transferred to the 4th Regiment Cavalry in Greene County,
Missouri.Lt. Mooney would honorably
serve the Union for the duration of the war until he resigned his commission on
July the 4th, 1865. Mooney would eventually live to be 90 years old.

After the mayhem had subsided on Tucker Flats, the
Confederate losses seemed considerable. Union estimates were not exact, but the
reports claimed that not less than 10 Confederate men were killed and 20 were
wounded. As the skirmish subsided, the Union had captured 25 soldiers with
their weapons. Unfortunately, Maj. Methvin’s hope of immediate rescue quickly
eroded away.

According to historian Mary Ann Messick, 14 brave
men were laid to rest on this prairie a few yards from a small spring on Tucker
Flats. The dead were buried where they had fallen. These fallen soldiers had
experienced the hardships of war, the dearth of necessities, and the lack of
water. Now, their struggle had been quickly snuffed out so close to home on
Marion County soil.

The custom of the time would be for the captured
prisoners of war to bury their fallen comrades. By the early morning light,
picks, shovels, and spades were issued out for the burial detail. The soldiers
were buried with as much respect that was allowed, since the Union cavalry was
in earnest to cross the Missouri line to safe haven. The fallen would rest in
the raps of death on the slope of the Arkansas rolling prairie they had once
called home. It only seemed poetic to leave them there by this cooling spring.

Group picture with Eugene Reed (center) owner of the property, the Wiggins
Battery, and myself (left) at the location of the skirmish & the Reed Confederate Cemetery.

It was only the last evening, the village of
Mountain Home had been robbed of their fall harvest, livestock, and provisions
for the coming winter. Now, their circumstances were tragic, and the future
looked foreboding.

On the morning of October 18th, 1862, the
Union cavalry carried their stolen bounty off Tucker Flats and headed north. By
the morning light, it was tallied that they had captured 25 men and the same
number of arms. Maj. Methvin’s only chance of salvation would be at least three
days away. In the lapse of time, his journey would pull him far from rescue and
the reach of his friends.

As the cavalry headed back north, they were no
longer pursued with their plunder, and they would make it back to Ozark,
Missouri, in two days, on the 19th. The 125 men of the raid from the
14th Missouri Calvary rested and fed their wearied horses. The 100
men of the Missouri Enrolled Militia, from Douglas and Ozark County in Missouri,
went to their respective post,Fort Lawrence, in Douglas County.
At least 50 of these militia men would face a battle in a few weeks. In this
next battle, they would lose & surrender on their own soil at the Battle of
Clark's Mill, near Vera Cruz, in Douglas County Missouri. This historic county
seat, Vera Cruz, was located approximately 10 miles east of the current county
seat of Ava and 30 miles north of Gainesville.

Once at post headquarters in Ozark, Maj. Methvin, C.
S. A., was placed in the custody of the Provost General. The next morning, the
20th, the decision was made to transfer him to the prison in
Springfield, Missouri. Before the transfer was made, Methvin was stripped of
his officer’s commission papers. This was another disappointing blow because
the rank of a Confederate major was worth up to forty Union privates.Therefore, without his papers, the necessity
for the Union to use him as a bargaining chip in the trade of prisoners was
miniscule; he no longer had status or rank.

While Maj. Methvin lay sick with fever in the
military jail, no pardon was issued on his behalf at the Ozark Post in
Christian County, Missouri. The decision was made to transfer him to the
military prison in Springfield, Missouri, on the 19th of October.
His journey further into the North had just begun. Over the next few months,
Maj. Methvin would not only feel as a castaway, alienated from his family &
friends, but his distance from them would increase.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Note: I will be posting an
Ozark Civil War series on this post for the next several weeks. These
articles can also be found on the Baxter Bulletin every Monday. Some articles in the Bulletin
have been edited down to fit the word count requirements for the
newspaper. These articles will be posted here every Tuesday; they are
posted here in their entirety with pictures & links.

A tinder ear and wanting eye was always turned
toward the Military Road. It was the 16th of October, 1862, and many
of Marion County villages & families were anticipating the arrival of their
husbands and sons. Some of the families located on Rapp’s Barrens had become
familiar names to the area, such as: Casey, Crawford, Dodd, Foster, Goforth, Goodall,
Howard, Huston, Russell, Talbolt/Talbert, Trammel, and Walker. These families
still lived on this open prairie that once flourished with corn, cotton, and
tobacco. Now, they still had key resources that would make them a prime target
for a Union raid. They would ultimately arrive at the Casey house,which
also doubled as the local post office the past four years.

Old Military Road on Hwy. 126 South going toward Buford, Arkansas.

The peace of this well knitted community was quickly
interrupted as the 14th Missouri Calvary & Missouri State
Militia from Douglas & Ozark Counties bore down in plundering resources
needful for their unit.Hastily, the Union Calvary made a raid
through Mountain Home and the surrounding barren. The booty was easily taken
with only women, children, and old men to plead and protest. Additionally, the
majority of men who could protect them, with the weapons and gunpowder, were
still three days away.

Once the materials were stolen, the final inventory
tallied 50 heads of horses, 5 wagons and teams, and a considerable amount of
other property useful to the army. Since their livestock, implements, quilts,
and rations were stolen, the families on the prairie would find daily survival
a constant struggle.

In making the raid throughout the small village,
Maj. Wilber approached the Casey house to see a horse drawn hack (buggy) driven
by a Confederate officer who was transporting an ailing soldier; it was Maj. J.
W. Methvin. He had made the arduous journey from Pocahontas in only six days
lying in the bed of the hack. It was determined that Methvin had contracted a
severe case of pneumonia. He was within a day’s journey from being reunited in
the safe haven of his family and comfortable quarters. Methvin was captured and
soon realized his circumstances and timing of a reunion with his wife and
children started growing dark and doubtful.

After the setting of the sun, about 8:00 p.m., Maj.
Wilber ordered a retreat back to Missouri via the Military Road, and the hoof
beats of the cavalry pounded away from the small dogtrot home of Col. Casey. The
retreat went smoothly and the cavalry made their way to another nearby prairie
known as Tucker Flats or Tucker Barrens. Today this area is known as the Tucker
Cemetery Road.

In Maj. Wilber’s report, he stated, “I placed our
train of horses, mules, and wagons in the advance, with sufficient guard for
its protection, and kept my main force between it and the advancing enemy. The
most perfect order was maintained. Every man was at his post, and everything
was in readiness to give the enemy the warmest reception possible.”

As the unit was approaching the last section of road
on Tucker Flats, it became relevant that Col. Shaler was still a few days
behind. Therefore, the decision was made to bivouac (camp) for the night, and
make their final retreat by day light. About a half mile before the junction of
the Old Salt Road, Hwy. 126, the soldiers discovered a place to camp. The camp
was positioned on the prairie grassland and followed the gentle slope
northwards a few hundred yards along a fresh spring of water. The tall tufts of
Bluestem and Indian grass made excellent bedding for the soldiers and
nourishing provender for all of the 275 horses, of which 50 were stolen. They
most likely believed they were far enough below the grade and view of the road
to not been seen. For safety’s sake, a rear guard, comprised of 25 men, was
quickly dispensed under the guidance of Lt. Reuben Mooney,Company
D, 14th Regiment.

Overview of Tucker Prairie with arrow pointing to the sight of the skirmish.

In the meantime, the alarm went out through Mountain
Home and the prairie about the Union raid, and some of furloughed men from the
Arkansas 27th found themselves mustering their forces. It was now a
desperate hunt for the militia that stripped Mountain Home. About 40
Confederate soldiers made their way to Tucker Flats on the Military Road. As
they creped upon the 225 Union soldiers, they made their plans to separate the
Yankee unit from their rear guard. Under the cover of night, the small band of
Marion County men were endeavoring to rescue Maj. Methvin and repossess the
precious fall harvest, livestock, and implements.

As the Rebel soldiers advanced across the prairie,
they hid themselves in the thickets of crimson sumac and tall clusters of
Turkey-foot grass. About 2 o’clock in the morning, October 17th, a
Rebel yell was unleashed and the rear guard was attacked by a small band of
brave southern soldiers. As the hammers slammed down into the percussion caps
of their rifled muskets, the soft lead Minie balls whizzed throughout the Union
camp. The Rebels gained a position between the rear guard and the main Union force.
The camp was quickly roused from its slumber and immediately came to arms. The
fight had begun, and the cooling spring nearby Old Military Road would soon
flow with crimson.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Note:
This post is the second of five of articles on the Civil War in the
Ozarks. This series contains five installments over the next five
weeks. These
articles can also be found on the Baxter Bulletin every Monday. Some articles in the Bulletin
have been edited down to fit the word count requirements for the
newspaper. These articles will be posted here every Tuesday; they are
posted in their entirety with pictures & links.Enjoy your Ozarks' History.Vincent

Looking
back at the Civil War, we can see how the wheels of circumstances can come
together in the most disappointing ways. These places of confrontation can
sometimes be overlooked, and those at a disadvantage are many times the
victims. As the Confederate men from the Arkansas 27th were making
their transit to Yellville, the Union expedition into Northern Arkansas was in
full array.

In the Union Official
Reports, Maj. John C. Wilber, of the 14th Missouri Cavalry, left
his post the 12th
of
October, 1862, at 6 p.m. for an expedition into Marion County, Arkansas. The
headquarters in Ozark, Christian County, Missouri, supplied a detachment of 125
men of the 2nd Battalion,from
the 14th, and 100 men of the Missouri Enrolled Militia, stationed at
Fort Lawrence. The latter were local men from Ozark & Douglas Counties in
Missouri. Orders were given to advance by rapid marches and proceeded to the
White River, opposite Yellville.

Maj. Wilber’s intention was to “surprise the force
at that place [Yellville], and by a vigorous onset, get possession of the town,
burn the supplies collected there for the army of McBride, secure all the
property possible for the use of our army, and then fall back to Ozark by
forced marches.”

Upon crossing the state-line in Taney County
Missouri, it was found again impossible to ford the White River near Dubuque,
Arkansas, due to recent rains. Adjustments were made to continue east and then
south, through Ozark County, cross the state-line, and approach Yellville by
going on the Military Road and cross the White River by ferry.

As the Union troops rode their horses into Arkansas,
notice was given to Secesh (Secessionist/Rebels)
swarming the woods. These Secesh scouts
were posted on all the bluffs & hills. Maj. Wilber commented, “These scouts
were watching our movements, arid couriers flying in every direction, giving
intelligence of our approach and collecting forces. They had been warned of our
advance several times before, and were rapidly collecting to oppose our little
band.” Nevertheless, advancement was made over the next three days.

On the night of the 15th, camp was made
on George Pierson’s farm, at Pierson’s Ford on the north side of the White
River above the mouth of Jimmie’s Creek; today, this area is called Oakland,
Arkansas. From this location, the ford seemed to be impassable, yet the Pace
Ferry was only one mile away. This camp was also within close strike of
Talbot’s Ferry, the range being within about 10 miles. Interestingly enough,
this location was also nearby the residence of a free black man, Willoughby
Hall, who would give assistance to the Union in the near future. Namely, he
will serve as a guide and give intelligence to Capt. Milton Burch of the 14th
Missouri State Militia Cavalry within the next two months. It is probably this
act that would prove treacherous, and would culminate in the loss of Willoughby
Hall’s life.

John Estes was a member of the 14th Missouri State Militia Cavalry from March 7, 1862, to Feb. 4, 1863.
He was part of the expedition meant to capture Yellville.
Image Courtesy Wilson's Creek National Battlefield

Maj. Wilber posted pickets on every conceivable path
to his small camp, and sent out large numbers of patrols on the Salt Road southward
to not only guard their endeavors but also gather intelligence. Soldiers
blanketed the area including the range of three large hills, known today as the
Three Brothers. Information started trickling in. Some of the women in the area
were interviewed, and some would say they were interrogated. These ladies knew
their husbands and sons in the Arkansas 27th had left Pocahontas and
were in transit to Yellville. Though the timing might have been sketchy, the
locals lead Maj. Wilber to believe a surprise attack was imminent and would be
volleyed from Yellville that night.

After a Confederate soldier was caught, Wilber
decided not to take any chances with failure of his mission. He hastily ordered
a detachment of 50 men to ride through the night and secure the Talbot’s Ferry,
in order to oppose anyone trying to transverse the White River at that
location. If anyone got in their way, they were to be arrested under the
providences of martial law.

On the next morning, the 16th, Maj.
Wilber broke camp and moved his remaining force of cavalry to the prairie of
Talbot’s Barrens, and they descended on the small village of Mountain Home.
This was a strategic location to await news from the spies who were sent to
gather intelligence on Col. Shaler’s Confederate Infantry heading west. While
at Mountain Home, news was received that Col. Shaler was heading to Yellville by forced marches and was one day’s march away. The
Union scouts gave the Confederate logistics as a total of 2,000 infantry, 1,000
cavalry, and four pieces of artillery.

On learning this information, Maj. Wilber determined
it would be foolish to cross the White River and have the unfortunate
circumstance of being stranded from his headquarters. The swollen river was too dangerous to ford
without the ferry. He also believed “an overwhelming force was moving rapidly
up to cut any retreat.”

In hindsight, the truth was skewed and greatly
exaggerated. The main body of the 27th was bivouacked near
Melbourne, Arkansas. On the next day, the 17th, they would make it
to Piney Bayou, near present day Boswell in Izard County, Arkansas.

In the next few hours, dire decisions would be made
that would alter the lives of many homesick men.